Stumping for STEM

Published: Wednesday, February 12, 2014 at 08:00 AM.

In a July visit to Panama City, Scott toured Gulf Coast and received the full sales pitch on the STEM center from the college’s president, Jim Kerley. He said the governor “seemed open” to the project.

If so, Scott’s proposed 2014-15 budget leaves only a crack in the door for Gulf Coast to get through. It includes $20 million to fund new state college STEM buildings throughout the state without naming them specifically. The good news: That’s $20 million more than he proposed last year. The bad news: GCSC will have to compete with several other schools for a share of that pot of money. It’s hard to envision the state devoting nearly three-fourths of that funding to one project.

Rep. Jimmy Patronis, R-Panama City, has been a big booster of the STEM center and says he has talked to Scott about the project until he was “blue in the face.” But the governor, he says, is playing his cards close to the vest.

Patronis, Gaetz, Rep. Marti Coley, R-Marianna, and local business and education officials should continue talking about it. Keep it on Tallahassee’s radar. But this year, make sure the regular appropriations process is followed more closely. No cutting corners. No last-minute insertions. Be transparent about it. Don’t make it look as if it’s trying to sneak in the back door like a wayward husband at 3 a.m.

As Florida approaches the beginning of another legislative session, the future of Gulf Coast State College’s proposed STEM building is the same as it was at the end of the last session: in limbo.

Gov. Rick Scott last May vetoed a $14 million appropriation for Gulf Coast to build a new facility to teach science, technology, engineering and math, replacing the current 55-year-old building. That seemed at odds with his administration making STEM education throughout the state a priority.

His objection, however, was rooted more in process than fiscal terms. That should provide a guide map to local supporters and legislators to follow this year to ensure the project receives funding.

The STEM building landed on Florida TaxWatch’s annual “Turkey List” of questionable appropriations because it was not requested by the Department of Education’s Division of Colleges and was ranked 37th out of 39 projects on a priority list. Nor did the $14 million go through the full budgeting process. Initially the House and the governor’s budget didn’t include any money for the STEM building, and the Senate budget included only $300,000 for it.

However, Senate President Don Gaetz, R-Niceville, increased funding to $14 million during the conference committee. (It helps to have area friends in high places.)

Unfortunately, that earned the project a red flag from TaxWatch and the governor, lumping it in with other appropriations of far more questionable value that also took detours and shortcuts around the budgeting process.

It’s like hanging out with a bad crowd — you suffer from guilt by association.

In a July visit to Panama City, Scott toured Gulf Coast and received the full sales pitch on the STEM center from the college’s president, Jim Kerley. He said the governor “seemed open” to the project.

If so, Scott’s proposed 2014-15 budget leaves only a crack in the door for Gulf Coast to get through. It includes $20 million to fund new state college STEM buildings throughout the state without naming them specifically. The good news: That’s $20 million more than he proposed last year. The bad news: GCSC will have to compete with several other schools for a share of that pot of money. It’s hard to envision the state devoting nearly three-fourths of that funding to one project.

Rep. Jimmy Patronis, R-Panama City, has been a big booster of the STEM center and says he has talked to Scott about the project until he was “blue in the face.” But the governor, he says, is playing his cards close to the vest.

Patronis, Gaetz, Rep. Marti Coley, R-Marianna, and local business and education officials should continue talking about it. Keep it on Tallahassee’s radar. But this year, make sure the regular appropriations process is followed more closely. No cutting corners. No last-minute insertions. Be transparent about it. Don’t make it look as if it’s trying to sneak in the back door like a wayward husband at 3 a.m.